*Average annual household savings based on a national 2009 survey of new policyholders who reported savings by switching to State Farm. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company,
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June â&#x20AC;˘ July 2010

5

Letter from the Editor/June • July 2010
What does it mean to be green? Seems like everyone’s doing it these days.
And we each have our own ways of preserving the planet. To some it’s
recycling, to others its efficient transportation, or creative building design,
proper waste disposal or water drainage schemes. Well, we offer our own
version of sustainability in this edition, and it involves buildings.
Indiana Landmarks maintains that the greenest building is the one that’s
already built. That is, we’ve already spent the resources to build it: cut and
milled the trees, mined the metal, spent the labor. Tearing down old buildings that are still functional is simply a waste of those resources.
I confess here to a certain affection for old architecture. It’s hard to explain. I
don’t know why I find old buildings so appealing. I think it has a lot do with
the craftsmanship that went into them. Many were built by immigrants who
brought skills with them from their home countries that had been passed
down through generations, and their work is still evident even though
they’re long gone. I also appreciate that our old buildings are often the only
visible link to our past. The people and their belongings are gone, the cars,
the food, the tools are gone and even the trees change over the years. But,
the buildings are still here, sometimes as they were first built. I find that
very satisfying.
And, every time I see a building in its original state (or something close to
it) I am reminded that this was once somebody’s dream, and is often the
only remains of a once-thriving business. It’s reassuring that some things
really do stand the test of time.
Which is a long way of introducing this edition’s cover story. School officials
in Sheridan were contemplating the future of Adams Elementary School last
year as they prepared to move their students into a new school. The building
has seen better days and its future was unclear until a Noblesville businessman stepped in with an idea. Rocky Shanehsaz often sees potential where
others don’t and, in this case, that vision could end up saving a classic old
building and giving Sheridan’s economy a boost as well.
A second story features a father-son duo with a unique approach to preservation and sustainability. Their work, using old materials, is on display at a
new Fishers restaurant. We also profile a Cicero company that’s put a green
spin on a common product.
Yes, we all have our own ways of being green and we offer up a few of them
in this edition. I am delighted that green practices fit well with preservationist priorities. That will help ensure we continue to respect our past while
building the businesses of the future.
Mike Corbett

A cautionary tale about the importance of environmental scanning
You don’t have to look very hard to find
comparisons between today and the mid70’s. At that time, the economy was in trouble, unemployment was high, prospects in
many areas were weak, and manufacturing
was in trouble. And, while there had been
occasional problems with the auto industry
before, they were a huge component of this
downturn and all involved in that trade were
hit surprisingly hard.
My father, a long-time auto worker who
spent most of his career in some union rank,
was caught completely off guard. Given the
number of years of seniority he had accumulated, management had long ago stopped
laying him off when small blips in the
economic cycle popped up. This time, however, they did lay him off and they also told
him that they honestly weren’t sure if the
economy would ever turn around enough to
be able to bring him back. To say that he was
shaken is to hardly do it justice.

Rather than remain at the mercy of another
employer, he decided to take matters into his
own hands and be his own boss. He considered a number of business ventures before
finally deciding that a package liquor store
was his safest bet: if the economy got worse,
people would drink, and if the economy got
better, people would drink. He found such
an establishment for sale in a small town
halfway between the factory where he had
worked and where we lived. He began doing
some informal research:

steal it out from under him), they all said
it was a fantastic idea and vowed that they
would make the run to his store and purchase everything from him to help keep
him in business.

• He discovered that liquor licenses were issued based upon the census with one license
issued for every 10,000 in the area. Since this
small town had fewer than 10,000 people,
there was only the one package license and
he was buying what was, essentially, a monopoly. There were two taverns in the town,
but they were prohibited from selling alcohol for any purpose other than consumption
on the premises. The town didn’t have much
in it beyond that, a drug store, a grocery
store, a couple of banks and gas stations.
If residents – or anyone traveling down the
highway that cut through town – wanted to
imbibe outside of the taverns, it was a safe
bet they would stop here.

Very quickly, it all began to unravel and
the cause of it can be traced back to his
failure to do adequate research in the area
of environmental scanning. Simply put, environmental scanning is the collection of as
much information as you can find about the
environment (legal, political, competitive,
etc.) to be able to interpret what is happening in that market. During his research, my
father failed to realize:

• He struck up a conversation with some
truckers that worked for a large distribution
center just outside of the city limits. They
told him that they currently didn’t shop
there because the store closed before they
got off work. If he would stay open a couple
of hours later each night, he would have a
lot more customers after shift change.

Allan Dulaney, circa 1977,
in the Yorktown Package Shoppe.

8

My father took every cent in savings he had,
as well as every dollar he could borrow, and
bought the establishment. He changed the
hours to open earlier and close later, and he
was the master of his own destiny. Life was
good. For about two months…..

• The legislature had previously passed a bill,
taking effect months after his purchase, permitting taverns to sell cold beer for carryout
consumption. His monopoly now had two
direct competitors. Not only that, but both
grocery and drugstores could now sell warm
beer and wine. Those businesses could
afford to sell these items at a low price to
bring customers in who would make other
purchases, while the liquor store license did
not allow him to carry anything else that he
could use to make up for a loss leader.

• The company that owned the distribution center in town opened a second one in
• He asked all of his friends from the factory another town that was much closer to the
(those still there and those also on layoff)
interstate. Rather than 100% of all goods
if they thought buying this store was a
for this chain going in and out of this small
good idea. With only one exception (which town, now less than 50% did and that meant
he dismissed as someone who wanted to
the number of truck drivers, potential customers, was also halved.

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

• All of his friends from the factory kept
their word and did come to his store …
once. When he had asked them if they
would come, he meant come and pay full
price so he could make a living. When they
heard the question, though, they thought he
meant they would come and get the “friend’s
discount.” As soon as they realized they
had to pay just as much from him as they
would anywhere else, they weren’t interested
in making the journey to the middle of
nowhere and went back to buying from their
previous vendors.

discounts. In order to compete against this,
a number of the mom-and-pops needed to
form a cooperative, get some trucks, and
behave in a similar manner.

the garage, join the cooperative, and truck in
beer from the cheapest distributor. This gave
him a chance to stay in business, but compromised what he so fervently believed in.

It just so happened, however, that the
distributor for the county my father’s
store was located in was one of the very
few in the state that was unionized.
They paid their employees (warehouse
and drivers) well and passed the costs on in
the beer they sold. This left my dad with
two options:

There was one other decisive issue that had
been overlooked and proved significant.
Every major beer company had a contract
with one distributor in each county that
gave that distributor an exclusive license for
the county. Every distributor had such an
arrangement with multiple beer companies
and thus it was not uncommon to have
only one or two distributors in each county

1. Continue to support the union by buying from the local distributor and charging more for his product than any of his
competitors. This reinforced the values he
believed in throughout his years as union
steward, committeeman, and so on, but
pretty much assured that he would be out of
business within a year.

Had he thoroughly done the environmental
scanning needed before the purchase, he
never would have entered this market and
been put in this position. In the end, he
reached a compromise he was comfortable
with and focused on serving an underserved
niche, but not before enduring many fitful
nights of trying to find one more source
from which to borrow money until becoming profitable and one more family member
telling him how risky business can be.

…it all
began to
unravel because
of his failure to
do adequate
research.
throughout Indiana. When all the package
stores were operating as monopolies, they
bought from the distributor in their county
at whatever price they charged to drop off
the merchandise (giving them considerable
market power), added on their markup, and
passed the price to the consumer.
While package stores were mostly momand-pops, many drug stores and grocery
stores were chains. Instead of buying
from the distributor in each county, a chain
would find the cheapest distributor and
buy for all their stores from them - using
their own trucks to pick up and deliver as
needed and negotiating for sizeable quantity

2. Betray his values, take down the “United
We Stand, Divided We Fall” posters from

Whether you are starting a business or buying an existing one, environmental scanning is one area in business that you cannot
afford to shortchange. v
Emmett Dulaney teaches entrepreneurship
and business at Anderson University.

Create positive change in the world while remaining
focused on long-term investment strategies.

Increasingly, individuals are incorporating their personal values into their financial portfolios, as well.
Socially responsible investors have the opportunity to create positive change in the world through
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number of investors are discovering that they can seek to do well financially while making
investments that focus on the causes they care about.

Call me for a New Perspective review to help you align
your investment strategies with your personal values.

Joseph E. Mitchell, CFP®, MBA
Senior Financial Advisor
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9200 Keystone Crossing, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46240
317.853.1100
joseph.e.mitchell@ampf.com
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Your meeting will include a review of your existing financial situation and potential opportunities, gaps, or general
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ocky Shanehsaz remembers being called
a “crazy dude” when he bought the Model
Mill in Noblesville in 2001.

“Sometimes, the best ideas go against the
flow, like the salmon in a river” theorizes
Shanehsaz, 49.

“Well, I am a crazy dude so I’m going to
take this a different direction,” he told
Dennis Redick, then Noblesville mayor,
who had suggested razing the four-story
structure at Mulberry and Eighth streets
for parking.

This month, landscaping begins on his
newest venture: turning Sheridan’s 48,200square-foot Adams Elementary School into
the Hamilton County Convention Center.
Shanehsaz bought the building and nearly
7 acres for $85,000 in November. Students,
who still use the school, will move to a new
Instead, Shanehsaz (pronounced SHAWN- building in the fall.
uh-sauce) turned an eyesore into Class
“Crazy”, declare his critics. “Like a fox”, add
A office space that will be topped with a
banquet center.
his supporters.

10

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

community and provide jobs, even while
it’s being restored.”
Brenda Myers, Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, suggested other uses might be better
for the school when she spoke against
Shanehsaz’ idea at a hearing in late 2009.

The Plan

Shanehsaz’ plan calls for converting the
gym – once the biggest school gym among
several neighboring counties– into space
to accommodate 1,000 at a sit-down meal
and several times more than that for
standing events such as trade shows.
First-floor classrooms and hallways will
converge as open reception space. Secondfloor classrooms will be transformed into
suites for business functions. Shaneshaz
hopes to build a hotel in five years on the
football field behind the school.
The interior won’t resemble a school, he
says, but exterior changes will be minimal,
mostly adding canopies and returning the
main entry to White Avenue, where it was
originally located.

Sometimes
the best ideas go
against the flow,
like the salmon in
a river…
-Rocky Shanehsaz

Shanehsaz expects the center to be open by
year’s end, although structural work can’t
begin until August, according to the purchase agreement. He is still seeking silent
investors for the project.

Viable Plan?

Sheridan residents and town leaders believe Shanehsaz’ plan is good for the rural
community of about 3,000.

Town Council President Connie Pearson
admits that siting a convention center in
her hometown surprised her at first, but
thinks it will be a sound venture.
The 1960 graduate of the school – her father was a ’37 grad and her grandchildren
are students there now – sees the center as
another step in Sheridan’s development.
“The pieces and parts within the community will all work together,” like partners,
to sell the community, she explains. Pearson notes the future cultural community
center at Veterans Park, and completed
projects that include restoring Boxley
Cabin, listing Main Street on the National
Register of Historic Places and opening
Sheridan’s leg of the Monon Trail. The convention center “will bring business to the

Convention centers designed to accommodate thousands rarely make much
money on their own, although ones built
for events with fewer than 500 people can
be profitable if they have easy access to
travelers, the right combination of meeting
rooms and adjacent lodging, she wrote in
an e-mail. Traditionally, municipalities operate and subsidize or finance convention
centers to drive downtown business.
Cities “use related revenue to support the
debt service,” Myers wrote, adding her
concerns about the tough market facing
Hamilton County hotels. “Hotel growth
tends to go in spurts, and this one peaked
in 2008. Since then, the lodging pipeline
has slowed to a trickle based on an oversupply of rooms, and some analysts say it
will take years to recover as a result.”

Going Green

Outside, Shaneshaz plans to green up the
property by landscaping the approach to
the center and adding gardens and fountains. That work should be started, he said,
by the town’s sesquicentennial celebration
this summer.

Descended from a Comb Maker
After studying medicine for two years in the
Dominican Republic, he married his college sweetheart,
Gayle, and moved to Indiana in 1983 so she could purBest known locally as Rocky, sue law school at IU. She succumbed to brain cancer in
1992, leaving Shanehsaz, who had become a computer
he is the great-great-greatgreat-grandson of a man who consultant, a single dad of Abrahim, now 21.
made combs out of wood.
That’s where he got his name; He married his second wife, Terri, in 1996, and they
adopted Ava, now 6. They live in Noblesville, but
in Persia, “shanehsaz”
ironically don’t live in an historic home. Terri has
means comb maker.
extreme allergies, he explains, and must live in a
nearly sterile environment.
He came to the United States in 1977 from Iran,
attended high school in Bowling Green, Ky., then
Shanehsaz’ retired parents have visited the U.S.
majored in agriculture-animal science, computer
science and chemistry at Western Kentucky University. twice, but duties in his growing collection of business
ventures – heading Compumed computer consultants,
He took the nickname Rocky in the late 70’s when
overseeing the rehabilitation of the Model Mill and
the Rocky movies were popular because people had
Axline and Hare houses, and now developing the
trouble remembering his real name. It stuck and
Hamilton County Convention Center – hasn’t allowed
he’s been using it ever since.
him time to return to Iran. v
If history repeated itself, Hassan Shanehsaz
might’ve been a comb maker.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

11

Ditslear credits Shanehsaz for saving two
homes that stood in the path of the City
Hall expansion, making the Model Mill a
source of city tax dollars and helping the
Southwest Quadrant evolve and improve.
Yet both say the city-businessman relationship sometimes has been strained;
Shanehsaz also has had differences with
the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority and
the state. But while each man enjoys history and appreciates preservation, neither
relishes rehashing bad feelings in the cityShanehsaz chronicles.
But green goes far beyond landscaping when it comes to old buildings, say
Shanehsaz and Tina Connor, executive
vice president, Indiana Landmarks.

The consultant, who holds a masters
degree in historic preservation from Ball
State, classifies the Model Mill and other
Shanehsaz projects as renovation.

“We feel preservation and retrofitting
buildings is the greenest solution because
you’re not sending things to the landfill,”
Connor commented. “We can’t build our
way out of the sustainability crisis. That
would just fill up landfills and Earth with
more landfills.”

“Preservation or historic rehabilitation
maintains a building’s character-defining
features on the exterior and interior,” she
explains. “Those features are unique to
each building and relate to its style, history
and uses.”

Shanehsaz calls green “part of the art of
preservation,” a subject he speaks so passionately about, that he frowns like a child
tasting spinach when saying “modernization.” The most common mistake rehabbers make, Shanehsaz explains, is when
they “take out the old to put in the new
and try to match everything to the new.
The building loses its originality.”

Preservation vs. Renovation

There’s some disagreement, though, on
what he calls preservation and how trained
preservationists such as Noblesville’s Carol
Ann Schweikert define it.

12

Stores might have tin ceilings and
display windows; schools might have
chalkboards, large windows and built-in
storage cabinets.
“Although Mr. Shanehsaz’ efforts may save
some portion(s) of the historic building,
because many significant elements are lost
in the renovation, the buildings often do
not successfully relate their style, history
and/or use(s).” she says.

Sometimes Rocky Road

Shanehsaz loves his hometown and
supported John Ditslear’s first run for
Noblesville mayor when he ran as an
independent in 2003.

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Public confrontations sparked over the
Model Mill sign and parking at the Axline
House, which Shanehsaz moved to save
from the city’s wrecking ball. In late April,
he was defending his plans for the Mill
Top Banquet & Conference Center against
a state-issued stop work order.
“Rocky is creative as can be,” Ditslear says.
He acknowledges that both sides may have
contributed to disagreements and differences while reminding that the city’s sign
and parking laws are in place for everyone’s benefit.
The frustration is visible when Shanehsaz
speaks of the permit problems and costs
he’s faced -- $16,000-$17,000 for the
Axline House parking lot alone.
The Sheridan Town Council hasn’t
discussed the project in-depth but
Pearson expects conversations to start
when classes dismiss for the summer.
She believes the town will “try to steer him
from things that might get him in trouble”
and work with Shanehsaz to continue the
strong support that residents showered
on his plan at the public hearing. v

Turning the Page

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES

Sheridan Schools
starts the next chapter

Undated class photo in front of the school

Adams Elementary School will
graduate its last class 79 years after
it opened as a 12-grade building,
That first year, 656 students
enrolled, a then-record high for
the district, reported the
Noblesville Daily Ledger in July
1931. Fifty-two graduates took
part in the first commencement
exercises, according to Jim Pickett,
Sheridan Historical Society.
In “Whatever happened to the
class of ’37?” a story by Jeanne
Cornell that’s included in “History
of Hamilton County Schools,”
students marveled over the new
school, which cost about $150,000
to build. It had indoor restrooms,
warm classrooms, a science lab
and music room, “and get this,
a Dean of Girls!” she wrote.

“The future belongs to those who believe in
the beauty of their dreams .” Eleanor Roosevelt
Start your financial future with a solid strategy.
May your futures be full of good health, happiness,
success and prosperity.

In 1966, 80 graduates took part
in the building’s final high school
commencement. Class pictures
from its earliest days still hang
in the halls.
Sheridan Schools put the building
up for auction in November.
The district plans to open Sheridan
Elementary School this fall at
24795 Hinesley Road. v

#
The Indianapolis Indians have as many ticket packages and hospitality
options as there are innings, so there are more ways than ever for you to
enjoy Baseball Up Close with colleagues and associates at Victory Field.

Social Media should be part of your Marketing Mix
While social media is certainly a new marketing strategy, it is not unproven. Millions
of consumers and professionals regularly
frequent social media sites to make buying
decisions. This sheer volume of eyeballs
with commercial intent cannot be ignored.
Social media networks offer an entirely
new way to reach and influence buyers.
If you’re still thinking MY clients and
prospects don’t use social media sites to
make buying decisions, think again. Even
if you are targeting the “C-suite” (CEOs,
CFOs, CIOs or CMOs), these executives
commonly assign manager-level personnel
to conduct research on products, services
and vendors. These critical influencers
absolutely use social media networks to do
research, dialogue with vendors and make
recommendations to their leadership decision-makers.
Over the last several years, buyers have
shifted from being passive recipients of
pushed information (e-mail, direct mail
and advertising) to active, informed
participants in the vendor research and
selection process. This means traditional
marketing efforts alone will no longer
work. Your prospects aren’t going to go to
your corporate web site and believe every
word they read. They are going to do an
online search to see what others think
about your products, services and company. The best places to garner this type
of candid, unfiltered feedback are social
media sites.
Among social media’s many benefits is the
ability to conduct a meaningful dialogue
with prospects and customers – an opportunity to influence the buying decision
in real time. It also enables your prospects
to quickly and independently conduct due

14

are they following on Twitter? What
are they interested in? How can you
influence them?
2. Assign a social media spokesperson
With the benefits, though, come risks. Put- for your company that makes sense. One
ting yourself or your company “out there” of the top benefits of social media is the
on social media networks introduces a
ability to personalize your company; it
level of vulnerability. While you will garconnects a real name, face and person
ner honest feedback from your customers, to your organization. Select a company
you have to be willing to accept construc- spokesperson that will resonate with your
tive criticism – and most importantly,
target audience.
publicly demonstrate your organization’s
3. Stick to your core brand message points.
desire to take accountability and willingEven though social media networks can
ness to correct mistakes.
feel very casual, this is no time to abandon
your brand identity. You can be conversational and “real” and still stick to your
company’s key messaging. Social media
is a great way to “live your brand” –
demonstrate that your mission statement
is more than rhetoric; it represents your
company’s values.
4. Use social media to broaden the reach
of already existing marketing initiatives.
For instance, if you have an ad campaign
airing on television, post it to Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn and include a link to
Social media is not going to replace your
a YouTube clip of the commercial. Tweet
a link to your latest white paper or case
overall marketing strategy; it is another
layer of the communication and influstudy. Create a Facebook event page to
ence process. It can facilitate more honest invite people to your next open house or
dialogue and stronger loyalty among
seminar. Post updates from press releases
customers and prospects. Social media can and company announcements.
also help you reach a new pool of qualified
buyers and shorten the sales cycle.
Bottom line, social media doesn’t replace
your current marketing strategies. It is just
As you start down the road of social
another tool in the toolbox. Embrace this
media, here are some factors to take into
latest communications vehicle and use it to
consideration:
your advantage. In actuality, your custom1. Take a strategic approach and put a plan ers and buyers won’t give you much choice.
in place as you would any other marketing I promise you, it’s not going anywhere.
initiative. Map out your strategy, beginning with research. Who is your audience? Amy Zucker, a public relations and marketing
veteran with 15 years of industry expertise, is
What segment is entrenched in social
media? Where are they on Facebook? Who president and founder of Synergy Marketing
diligence and validate that your company,
products or services are, in fact, a good fit
for them.

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Group. More at www.synergy-mg.com.

Technology
Robert J. Alcorn

Is Cloud Computing Right for Your Company?
You may have seen the television commercial that asks, “What is cloud computing?”
If you own or run a business, you’ll be
very interested in the answer. While terms
like cloud computing, virtualization and
hosted computing may seem like a vague,
formless illusion, they actually produce
more tangible bottom line results than any
other technology approach in decades.
In the past, companies had to make
huge “capital investments” in technology
hardware (servers, routers, firewalls and
switches) in order to launch or grow. However, commercial-grade equipment is very
expensive and quickly becomes obsolete,
resulting in frequent and costly replacement. Ultimately technology hardware has
become a major hurdle and bad investment for businesses.
Cloud computing, or virtualization, as it is
sometimes called, eliminates these capital
investments in equipment by utilizing
a secure, off-site, shared platform. This
approach enables businesses to direct
working capital into revenue-generating
activities such as research and development, sales and marketing, or expansion
initiatives, rather than network equipment
that will become outdated almost as soon
as it is installed.
In addition to capital savings, cloud
computing provides companies of any
size (even small businesses) with access
to Fortune 500-level network security,
bandwidth, computing capacity as well as
a system that is monitored and managed
24/7 by certified technology engineers.

Cloud computing also reduces costly technology support by leveraging a “shared
environment” so management costs are
spread over many users.
Cloud computing and virtualization
solutions are intrinsically designed for
new or expanding companies that need
to conserve or redirect capital for growth
initiatives. These new services are also well
suited for large corporations that require
dynamic network environments that can
accommodate significant fluctuations in
system usage.

security critical to my business’ day-to-day
operations?
If you answered “yes” to some or all of
these questions, cloud computing may be
right for your organization.
There is little doubt that cloud computing is the future in terms of IT. The next
time you hear the phrase, “cloud computing,” think of a technology approach that
is fluid, flowing and freeing. This new
concept in network design will enable you
to literally do more with less by leverag-

There is little doubt that cloud
computing is the future in terms of IT.
If you are considering switching your
traditional network environment to a
cloud computing model, ask yourself the
following questions:
• Can my investment in technology equipment and support be better utilized in
other areas of the business?
• Does my business need Fortune-500
network design best practices, commercial-grade equipment, bullet-proof
security, enterprise bandwidth and expert
IT management?
• Does my business model require a network system that can scale up quickly to
accommodate unplanned growth?
• Are system performance, access and

ing a shared IT environment that includes
sophisticated features only large enterprises can afford. As businesses vie for a
competitive edge, cloud computing and
virtualization will clearly allow companies
to concentrate on “big-picture” investments and less in the costly over-head of
equipment. With cloud computing, the
sky’s the limit.
Robert J. Alcorn is COO of n|Frame.
You can follow Bob’s commentaries about
changing technology trends on n|Frame’s
blog at: http://www.nframe.com/blog/

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

15

Sales
Jake Doll

Satisfied Customers Will Help
You Through the Recession
Are you taking care of them?
Who are your customers? That’s a question that most business owners cannot
answer in a definite way. Aren’t customers
actually stockholders in a sense? When
they buy your product or service they are
investing in your business. If you do what
you should, they keep coming back and
buying more! Does a stockholder, in the
normal legal sense, do it that easily? I don’t
think so. The responsibility of creating this
satisfaction rests with you.
As owners of businesses, we get so involved in developing new customers that
we often overlook the ones we have. How
many of us can segment our customer base
into the categories of an Advocate, Apathetic or Assassin (example names used by
J.D. Power in the book Satisfaction)?
To create an Advocate or Promoter you
must go beyond the expected level of
service. In return, they will go out of their
way to tell people about you. And, they are
fiercely loyal to your brand. Advocates can
easily become your Raving Fans!
Apathetics or Passives are customers that
feel you just meet their basic needs. They
will not go out of their way to talk about
you to others. They tend to be loyal, but
are susceptible to competitor advances.
Most customers are in this group. The opportunity for you is to turn these customers into Advocates or Raving Fans.
You create Assassins or Detractors by
making basic mistakes. After a bad experience or product, they will aggressively seek
out a competitor and go out of their way

16

to tell others of their bad experience! Remember, bad news travels to 10 – 20 more
people than good news.

Walk the Talk

Most companies talk about the value of
customer satisfaction, but do not invest
in it. They do not train their employees to
engage with the customer and create trust.
Most employees are not allowed to make

or service. How do they buy, what stores
do they like and why? Where do your
customers live and work? What are their
positions, etc.? Train your employees!
Keep training! Don’t over promise and
under deliver - that creates Assassins!
According to McKinsey & Company, a national research firm, the current recession
is changing the way people think about

You create assassins by making
basic mistakes…They will aggressively
seek out a competitor and go out of their
way to tell others of their bad
experience!
decisions that actually help the customer.
Has anyone ever dealt with a telephone or
cable company problem? Remember, your
employees represent your brand!
Data has also shown that there is a direct
correlation between Return on Investment
(ROI) and Customer Satisfaction Initiative
(CSI). Look at how Wal-Mart is doing in
this recession. And a few years ago, Staples
was losing their position in office supplies.
They listened to their customers, made the
changes in products and stores, and have
recovered a top spot in office supplies.
Talk and interact with your customers on
a regular basis. Find out what they like or
dislike about things, not just your product

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

buying. 90% are belt tightening at some
level, with 33% doing it significantly. The
majority of people are paying down debt
and saving more. The Personal-Savings
Rate in March, 2009 was 5.7% of disposable income. The rate one year earlier was
0%! In post WWII it was 9%.
These changes in your customer’s thinking
will have an affect on your business activities, especially in marketing and sales.
Customer Satisfaction will become more
critical in the future. Will you be ready?
Jake Doll is President of Sandol & Associates and
a business advisor providing value to success-oriented business owners.

Management
Robby Slaughter

Every Job is a Part-time Job

The right perspective can improve your job and your life
Usually, the only connection between work
and our individual well being is stated in
legalese. Employers may provide health
insurance, short term disability, contribute to workers compensation or help us
save for retirement. There’s something
else that can help us to stay healthy while
continuing to advance our career, but it’s
not a complicated financial instrument or
a miracle drug. Instead, it’s just a simple
phrase: “Every job is a part-time job.”
That mantra serves many functions. First,
it should remind us that we cannot and
should not live all of our lives at work.
The body needs sleep to recharge and the
mind needs rest to focus. Our emotional
well-being is also influenced by those who
love us unconditionally, not just those
who need the client report finished by the
deadline. To work effectively, we have to
also spend time not working.
Second, if every job is a part-time job,
your colleagues are also part-time workers. They have lives too. Their friends and
family, their health and their personal
needs may be supported by their salary,
but will and should always take precedence
over their duties at the workplace. You
can ask people to turn off their cellphones
while serving customers, but you cannot
ask them to turn off their minds and forget
their own lives. You may punch a clock or
arrive at work, but you do not stop being a
parent, sibling or friend.
The words “part-time” also imply transience, as if at any moment someone might

decide to leave the firm and focus entirely
on their own needs. Of course, this is the
case with everyone. Any of us might, for
any number of reasons, choose to discontinue our relationship with our current
employer. “Part-time” should remind us
that we will eventually lose a valued team
member. If we are not prepared to transition their duties the departure will always
happen at the worst possible time.

ness hours, we can make job descriptions,
instructional diagrams and operating procedures more robust. If we recognize that
life is unpredictable and work hours often
need to be flexible, we can rebuild our
expectations about effort around results
rather than face time. Individually, we can
create checklists and projects plans with
the expectation that someone else might
need to finish the task without us.

Finally, the part-time nature of all work
should put the act of work itself into
perspective. We might spend more time
at our jobs than we do with our families,
but that’s not a sign that we love our jobs
more. Rather, employment is a way to

Work can be a source of tremendous
stress. Our physical, emotional and mental
well-being is often dominated by the
demands of our jobs. Remember, however,
that no matter how many weekends you
work and how infrequent your vacations,

Acknowledging the reality that
all jobs are part-time presents the
opportunity to design workflow
more intelligently.
use our skills and knowledge part-time to
enable the lifestyle we want and need fulltime. To quote Fight Club: “You are not
your job.” Your job merely enables you to
be who you are.
Acknowledging the reality that all jobs
are part-time presents the opportunity to
design workflow more intelligently. If we
assume that an employee will routinely
be out of the office during regular busi-

your job is still a part-time job. Design
your work flow and set your expectations
accordingly, so that you can enjoy your
full-time life.
Robby Slaughter is a principal with
Slaughter Development, an Indianapolisbased business process and workflow
consulting company. More information
is at www.slaughterdevelopment.com

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

17

Focus: Green/Sustainable Business

Treasure

to

Father and son “green” team use
recycled materials for new construction
By Martha Yoder

T

he saying “One man’s junk is another man’s
treasure” describes the philosophy of father
and son team Scott and Brandon Pitcher. Both
have a keen eye for knowing what is reusable
after a building has been demolished. They
are dedicated to preserving history while
being environmentally responsible. In
2007, Forbes magazine ranked the nation’s
greenest states. Indiana ranked 49th, just
a little higher than last place West Virginia.
The Pitchers have put together a vision for
improving that statistic by regenerating the
environment.
Scott owns Fortune Management, a property
management company that uses refurbished
local materials to construct new buildings.
His business opened in 1985. One of his first
projects was to remodel the old city hall in
Kokomo, which was slated to be torn down
and the land converted into a parking lot.
It was their business headquarters until they
moved to another renovated building downtown.

An artistic tree from Mexico accents the stone wall consisting of salvaged limestone
from various high schools in central Indiana.

Pressed steel ceiling panels on the raised dining area were
retrieved from a demolished Indiana building and the
wood flooring was saved from the demolition of a house
in Logansport.

“I bought the building for $35,000,
putting down $3,500 in cash as
a deposit. Today it appraises for
more than $2 million,” said Scott.
Brandon inherited his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, and developed
his own company, 5 Kingdoms
Development. They are passionate advocates of preserving our
resources one piece of old stone,
facade and woodwork at a time.
As a teenager, Brandon was
inspired by his dad’s environmentally-friendly company. By
the time he was 19, he began a
lifelong journey to educate people
about the importance of what he
describes as a “sustainable” society,
one that satisfies its need without diminishing the prospects of
future generations.

This Gothic arch doorway was recovered
after a tragic fire at the First Baptist Church in Kokomo.

businesses as possible about how to create
a sustainable company. Scott and Brandon
estimate they have designed more than
200 buildings throughout Indiana using
refurbished materials.
One eclectic example of their dedication to
preserving history and being environmentally responsible is Riviera Maya, a newly
designed Mexican restaurant in Fishers.

We don’t always have a
drawing or blueprint…
it’s an artistic process
that’s hard to replicate.
-Scott Pitcher
“The interior of Riviera Maya features up
to 90 percent reused materials. We had the
flexibility in design to be creative and the
results are a work of art,” Brandon said.

“Too many people throughout the
state don’t understand the importance of preserving different pieces
of the interior and exterior of old
buildings, such as woodwork trim
and stone. They just want to tear
them down, which loses an important piece of our history,” Scott
explained.

His father added, “We don’t always have
a drawing or blueprint. Our style goes so
much more beyond what people are used
to seeing … it’s an artistic process that is
hard to replicate.”

One of Brandon’s company goals
is to bring the resources back to
Indiana and educate as many local

For his revitalization of Kokomo’s Westside, Forest Park Shopping Center, and the
unique design of The Quarry, a restaurant,

This phenomenal process produces spaces
for generations to enjoy while preserving
entire buildings and city blocks.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

19

Now known as City Venture One, the Pitcher’s
first project is the keystone for Kokomo’s
downtown revival.

Built over 150 years ago in the Ohio River Valley, the bar is now one of the most attractive
elements of the décor.

Scott received the
Indiana Green Business Award in the
category for sustainable use of local
materials.

This oversized red door was recovered from a home in Indianapolis
and now adds rich color to the dining room.

Brandon was recently awarded the
prestigious Green
Entrepreneur of
the Year award,
organized by Green
Fest Expos, Inc.
and sponsored by
Rolls-Royce. The
honor recognizes
his lifelong dedication to sustainability
education.
“I started lecturing
about sustainability
(green economy and
renewable energy)
at Purdue University
when no one else
was talking about it,”
Brandon said.

The fountain’s marble is from St. Mary of the Woods College in
Terre Haute. The stained glass windows, from the former Masonic Temple
in Warsaw, create a focal point on the south wall.

20

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

The east façade of City Venture One, formerly
the Kokomo City Hall.

He has traveled to 40 countries worldwide
and presented more than 300 lectures,
including addressing the prestigious Royal
Academy of Sciences in Sweden and MIT.
He has been recognized for his seminars
about sustainable systems, zero emissions
and innovative green solutions. At the age
of 30, Brandon’s mission is to be a change
agent in Indiana.

We are living in a world
with limited resources;
however, we behave like
they are unlimited.
-Brandon Pitcher
“I’ve had the privilege to work with people
all over the world, and I still choose Indiana as my home,” Brandon commented.
Brandon’s sustainable systems philosophy
is evidenced in his current Kokomo home.
He lives in a downtown apartment behind
the Kokomo Tribune building. The building was once a funeral home.
“The woodwork and doors are refurbished
from other buildings that were either
remodeled or torn down right here in our
town,” he explained.

Partnering with colleges, including Ball
State University, Purdue University and
Indiana University Kokomo, Brandon’s
long-term goal is to integrate society
with nature.
Before: A former restaurant

Brandon has experienced some difficulty
in changing the “old way of thinking”
about the environment. “Most of my work
started with the students at these institutions because the administrations and
professors were still behind in their thinking,” he said. “This is changing now and at

a rapid rate as society is becoming more
aware of the interconnectedness
of life.”
“We are living in a world with limited
resources; however, we behave like they
are unlimited. I want to change the
thinking process of businesses to provide
them with the tools, skills and ways to
implement systems that mimic nature,”
Brandon said. “My dream is to change the
way people in Indiana handle their environment and lead the way for others.” v

After: A children’s clothing store using a design
approach known as “Storybook Architecture”

The Quarry Restaurant before: The original
structure was the first retail mall in Kokomo

Dairy Queen After: Mixing old with new to meet
design requirements, combining sheet metal facade
with reused stone work

At First Merchants, weìre committed to supporting economic
recovery in our communities. Because we are a strong
and stable company guided by sound financial practices,
weìre living up to that commitment.
We invite you to experience the
First
Merchants
difference
today.

www.firstmerchants.com | 1.800.747.6986

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

21

Profile
Cicero company offers “green” wood stain

Environmentally friendly Timber Ox Green marketed nationally
By Deb Buehler
un drenched back yards are a welcome
invitation to the summer season even as
they highlight the outdoor chore list. As homeowners around the nation seek environmentally friendly products to improve their
homes, a Cicero company is offering
a unique wood stain product.

Nearon joined Forth’s team, with one
caveat; he would be able to design a stain
product that would reflect the commitment to high quality held by EWRI.
“We started in Todd’s garage mixing
formulas with my drill,” Nearon said. “I
started working on product development
in 2004 and went full time in 2006.”
The two eventually hired chemist Robert
Benson to improve upon their initial
forays into stain development. They
charged him with making the highest
quality wood stain.

Todd Forth, John Nearon and Lyn Johnson

Todd Forth launched Exterior Wood
Restoration, Inc. (EWRI) in 1994, building
it from a small one-man operation to
a multi-million dollar company. Meanwhile, John Nearon was gaining 20 years of
experience in the coatings industry.
He developed, marketed and designed
coatings for companies such as Ford, GM
and American Woodmark.

In 2007 a client asked Timber Ox Green to
remove the mineral spirits from the product
to make it friendly for those with allergies.
This inspired further research and led to the
replacement of mineral spirits with natural
citrus and castor oils. Both oils are agriculturally renewable resources.

Rounding out the team

Lyn Johnson joined the EWRI and Timber Ox, Inc. team in 2005. Forth knew
Johnson through church and believed
that her previous work experience could
benefit the leadership team.
Like Forth and Nearon, family values
are a driver for Johnson. All three team
members appreciate the setting Hamilton County provides for raising children
and operating a business.
“The business-friendly environment is
clean, safe and family-oriented with a
rich quality of life,” Nearon said. “It is a
great place to raise a family and a beautiful place to live.”
Forth, Nearon and Johnson are all raising families in Noblesville while the
company headquarters moved to Cicero
to add space to accommodate growth.

The greening
of Timber Ox stain

Timber Ox claims several competitive
advantages. Unlike other stains, where
the pigments are ground into the product in their chemical form, Timber Ox
pigments are ground ahead of time,
then simply mixed into the stain,

22

reducing the environmental impact
at the time of production.

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

The addition of citrus oils derived from
lemon and lime peels, and castor oil derived
from the castor bean, makes the stain a
wood-loving, natural, renewable product.
Since the stains do not contain solvents,
they are safe for indoor use.

We started in Todd’s
garage mixing formulas
with my drill,…
Visit the Cicero headquarters of Timber
Ox Green to see picnic tables, a gazebo
and sample boards on display demonstrating the product and stain colors. Timber
Ox Green is also available at ICC Paints in
Castleton, Green Way Supply in downtown
Indianapolis and on the west side at the
Deck Store.
“We have something really special that
works really well,” said Shannon Crowder,
director of marketing and sales. “Our
product was designed by wood professionals to be robust. It has the added benefit
of being green.” v

Interview
Meet the new President
of the Fishers Chamber of Commerce
By Mike Corbett

Dan Canan has been on the job for about a
month now. A lifelong resident of Muncie,
Canan most recently was president of the BMH
Foundation, a non-profit hospital foundation.
Prior to that he was the city’s first three-consecu-

HCBM: So, give us your first impression.
Dan Canan: This chamber is an extremely
busy, active, engaged chamber. I feel very
honored to be a part of it. The Fishers
community is a welcoming, dynamic,
exciting community. I feel very welcome
here.
HCBM: What do you bring to the job that
will serve you well?
Canan: We’re a member-oriented organization, we represent businesses out there.
I was a small businessman for 15 years, I
owned my own business so I understand
that part of it…That gives me the perspective of the business owner and how
important the chamber is to them, and
how important it is that we provide value
back to that customer.
Second, I had a political career for a period
of time, and one thing I think I did well
in politics was brought people together of
diverse backgrounds and I think that’s a
lot of what a chamber does…And, the last
couple of years I was working for a hospital foundation, a small non-profit, so I
have a real varied background that I think
will serve me well here.
HCBM: I’ve read you are a proponent of
developing the downtown area. Can you tell
me more about that?
Canan: It’s an important issue. It was
important for Muncie and I think it’s
important for Fishers. The reason is to

tive-term mayor and owned a pharmacy for
15 years. He graduated from Ball State with
a degree in marketing. We stopped in to get
his initial impressions after a few weeks on
the job. Excerpts:

establish an identity for Fishers. What’s
Fishers known for? Indianapolis is known
for sports: the Colts, Pacers, so they have
an identity out there. Fishers has lots of
great awards: great place to live, great
schools, cost of living, all those attributes.
But, it’s kind of a branding thing: what is
Fishers known for? Not to the people of
Fishers but to the external world. I think a
downtown can help do that.

HCBM: What are your passions?
Canan: My passion is being involved to
affect positive change. I did that when I
was in the mayors office, the whole reason
I ran was I saw it as an opportunity and it
became a passion of mine to improve the
place that I live. v

AdventureLand
Childcare is happy
to offer two fun
summer camp
programs for your
elementary age child.
The “Adventures Camp” is for elementary students ready to pack their bags and
travel around the world! Their travels will begin on June 7th with a Bon-Voyage
party then they’ll set off either by ship, train or by air as they visit China, Italy,
Australia, Mexico, Tahiti, and our home land...USA! The adventurous travelers will
enjoy a welcome back celebration upon their return on August 13th. They will
collect souvenirs from each country, learning all along the way and enjoying the
ethnic foods and cultures.
The “Destination Camp” is designed for those in 2nd through 6th grade who have
an explorers’ spirit as they explore the many themed camp opportunities.
From Space Exploration, Water Works, CSI Crime Lab, Spy Week and the
Mad Scientist, your camper will be engaged and enjoy destination field trips
while they explore. Registration is limited to 15 campers; please refer to the
schedule for the dates and camp themes.
Both camps are designed for your child to have fun while learning
through their experiences. Let the Journey Begin!

Registration Fee
$35.00 for current students
$50.00 for new enrollment

Weekly Camp Fee
$135.00 - Adventures Camp
$160.00 - Destination Camp*

*campers will need a sack lunch with some destination trips.
All campers will receive a shirt

Please contact Niki Brown at nbrown@heartlandchurch.com
for enrollment information or call 317-842-5400.
Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

23

News
Carmel Recognized for Innovation
Three attorneys join
Church Church Hittle and Antrim Carmel was named 2010 Owner of the
J. David Hollingsworth, Steven M. Lutz and Jennifer C.
Hughes are joining CCHA
in their Fishers office. Hollingsworth received his BA
Hollingsworth from Franklin College in
Education and JD from IU
School of Law. He has been
in private practice since
1976 and lives in Carmel
with his wife Carol, a school
teacher. Lutz has a BS
Lutz
from Purdue in Industrial
Management/Industrial
Engineering and a JD from
IU School of Law. He lives
in Fishers with his wife,
Stefani. Hughes graduHughes
ated from IU with a BA in
Criminal Justice and Political Science and
a minor in Psychology. She received her
law degree from De Paul University College of Law, Chicago. She and her husband
Mason live in Broad Ripple.

Year by Midwest Construction magazine,
selected from nominations received from
Midwest Construction readers. The magazine highlighted numerous accomplishments including rebuilding county roads
into fully functional parkways, underground storm sewer systems, and roundabout intersections. It described Carmel as
a progressive city in which designers and
contractors understand that a high-level
quality of work is expected. It also sees
Carmel as a city where new and innovative
devices are constantly studied and used.

Fishers Chamber
awards Scholarships

Alison Thorup from Fishers High School
and Nicholas Marks from Hamilton
Southeastern High School will each receive
a $1500 Education Through Experience
scholarship from the Fishers Chamber.
The chamber awards the money to seniors
who were employed by a local business or
participated in a community organization

Indianapolis based photographer
Mark A. Lee has been capturing the best
in people and events for over 20 years.
He takes great pride in working
with his clients to ensure the end results
fit their individual needs
in a creative and interesting way.

for a minimum of six months during high
school. Alison works for McAlisters Deli
and plans to attend IU. Nicholas started
his own landscaping company called Town
and County Land Works Inc. He plans to
attend Purdue.

Leadership Academy
Hires new Director

Jill Doyle is the new executive director of the Hamilton County Leadership
Academy. Jill previously
managed office operations
and marketing for The
Jill Doyle
Faurote Group, a professional development and human capital
consulting company. She has a BS from
Butler University in Public & Corporate
Communications and a certificate in
Public Management through Indiana
University. She lives in Westfield with
husband Dan and two daughters. Jill
replaces Kristi Williams, who served as
HCLA’s executive director for seven years.

Sheridan Publishes
Commemorative

The Sheridan Historical Society is offering an 88-page, limited edition Sheridan
Sesquicentennial Commemorative book
to coincide with the town’s 150th birthday
this Summer. The book includes a photo
collection featuring local society and industry as Sheridan reshaped itself from

Photography for:
Magazines
Newspapers
Fitness
Family
Special Events
Fundraisers
Modeling
and more

the short-lived gas boom that had once
triggered industrial development. “Many
will discover that Sheridan was once the
second largest industrial center in Hamilton County,” says Editor Brenda Bush.

Sheridan’s Sesquicentennial celebration is
June 24-July 4. More info: www.Sheridan150.org and www.MySheridan.com.

Noblesville Midday Rotary Club
changes venue

The Noblesville Midday Rotary Club now
meets at noon Tuesdays at the Sagamore
Club, 10900 Golden Bear Way, Noblesville.
Those interested in helping their community and world are invited to attend the
informal and jovial fellowship of professional women and men. More info: Gloria
Davis, 317-877-0051.

The Wild Reopens

Mike and Debbie Marinaro plan to reopen
The Wild in the same Logan St. location
on Noblesville’s Courthouse Square in
June. They bought the business from Jane
and Ernie Mills, who owned and ran the
children’s bookstore for more than five
years before closing it for financial reasons.
19 year Noblesville residents, Mike is a
structural engineer and Debbie worked for
Noblesville Schools. v

Chamber members with two or more
employees are eligible to participate in
the group plans which are offered at a
discounted rate.
Not a member? Become one today and
take advantage of this and other valuable
benefits.

Winner of the Best of Show and People’s
Choice Awards at the 9th Annual Taste
of Business in Noblesville was First
Merchants Bank - Cindy White, Lindsay
& Kyle Sweet accepting.

The Noblesville Chamber’s Community Pride Award for Excellence for April was
presented to Promising Futures. Accepting the award were Stephanie Lyons, Michele
Whelchel, Suzanne Eller, Marli Howell and Nathan Ferreira.

NEW MEMBERS

Jim Larson
Meineke Car Care Center

Seek out our new members at the next Chamber event you attend and help make them feel welcome!

Be sure to visit the Sheridan Chamber Website, www.sheridanchamber.org
for information on all upcoming events!

30

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
7th Annual Golf Outing ~ June 7th

Join us for a fantastic day of golf at The Bridgewater Club!

Call Kathy at the Chamber office at 804-3030 or email events@westfield-chamber.org
for details or to reserve your spot! Registration forms are available
on the Chamber web site at www.westfield-chamber.org

JUNE 2010

JULY 2010

Westfield Business Center Room
Village Park Plaza, Westfield
Individuals pay at the door.
Mention that you are with the Westfield Chamber
to receive your discount. RSVP to: 317-804-3030
or info@westfield-chamber.org

Westfield Business Center Room
Village Park Plaza, Westfield
Individuals pay for lunch at the door and join the committee in
the back meeting room. Mention that you are with the Westfield
Chamber to receive your discount.
RSVP to: 317-804-3030 or info@westfield-chamber.org

Economic Development Meeting
Monday, June 14th ~ 11:30 a.m

Economic Development Meeting
Monday, July 12th ~ 11:30 a.m

Thursday, June 24th ~ 5:00 -7:00 p.m.
Connect 2! Business After Hours

Networking Breakfast
Thursday, July 22nd ~ 7:30 - 9:00 am

Carmel & Westfield Chambers of Commerce
Clay Terrace
No charge for this event
RSVP to all events at: 804-3030
or events@westfield-chamber.org

The Palomino Ballroom
481 S 1200 E
Members with reservations: $15; all others: $20
RSVP by July 9th to: 317-804-3030
or events@westfield-chamber.org

Westfield & Carmel Chambers of Commerce
14636 North Meridian ~Westfield
$10 Members with reservations; $20 All others
Reservations are required for this event!
RSVP: 804-3030 or events@westfield-chamber.org

All Chamber event dates, timers and locations are subject to change. Please call 317-804-3030 or visit www.westfield-chamber.org or details.

Dining Out
Father and Son bring New England cuisine
to Hamilton County
Leland’s Restaurant
Story and photos by Scott Tyree
Grandmother taught him cooking basics and
inspired him to enter the restaurant business.
The Leland’s first joint venture was the popular LA Café in Whitestown where Ben was
already the head chef. 1 year ago they decided
to move the restaurant, but couldn’t take the
name with them. So, they decided to begin
the 2nd chapter of Leland’s Restaurant about
1,000 miles from the original.

eland’s Restaurant is the culmination of two
long careers in the restaurant business. Located on the Carmel-Westfield border, directly
below the dueling water towers on 146th
Street, Leland’s offers fresh seafood, steaks and
hearty breakfasts. Owners and father-son duo
Jay and Ben Leland opened the store 1 year

ago. In that time, they have managed to win
“Best in Show” at Promising Futures’ Martini
Party Benefit and “Best Appetizer” at the Taste
of Carmel.
Leland’s offers a great atmosphere for a professional lunch or a quiet romantic dinner. The
dining room covers two open
levels while the welcoming bar
area is tucked between the dining
room and kitchen below the
second floor. Most interesting
is the cleanliness of the kitchen
which the Health Department inspectors have unofficially labeled
“Hamilton Counties’ Cleanest
Kitchen.”
The discipline required to keep a
clean kitchen and practice proper
food preparation is hard to teach;
it is drilled into young line cooks
and bus boys by uncompromising chefs and owners while they
work their way up the kitchen
ladder. In the case of Jay and
Ben, their teacher was Jay’s
mother who owned/operated
the first Leland’s restaurant in
Plymouth, Massachusetts for 35
years. Jay worked nearly all jobs
at the restaurant, while Ben’s

32

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

The unique items on the breakfast menu set
it apart from your average breakfast spot. It
is quite possibly the only place in Hamilton
County to offer Crab Cakes Benedict, Bananas
Foster French Toast and New England Fish
Cakes. The corned beef hash is scratch made
and a must try in an area where it can be difficult to find good corned beef hash.
The lunch and dinner menus offer a variety of
fresh seafood (delivered daily), steaks and pastas. Jay and Ben both grew up near Cape Cod
and vacationed up and down the Maine coast
and were inspired by the tasty seafood shacks
lining the highway. The Friday night clam
fry offers fresh clams shipped in that day and
mimics the taste and batter style of the classic
clam shacks. Swordfish, Mahi-Mahi, Salmon,
Sea Scallops, Shrimp and Lobster are everyday
staples on the menu, with a variety of selections available in rotation as specials.
The steaks are Creekstone Black Angus and
Leland’s offers a variety of unique entrees
showcasing them. The Boston Strip is a
traditional strip steak, cut thicker and shorter,
resembling a large tenderloin. It takes a while
to cook, but results in an extremely tender cut.
Homemade sides and desserts abound on the
vast dinner menu with something for everyone. Save yourself the trip to Boston and stop
by Leland’s for a taste of New England. v

WHAT’S HAPPENING
TO THE NEWS?

Book Mark

Losing the news

The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy
By Alex S. Jones
Review by Mike Corbett
This is a scary time for people who care
about serious journalism, and Losing the
News examines the critical issues that are
threatening it. It’s a topic that gets me fired
up every time I hear it mentioned, which
is why I had to check out this book (literally…I got it from the new book shelf
in the library).

of an American bargain in which public
service was harnessed to voracious capitalism…” “Iron core reporting”is Jones’ term
for the kind of traditional journalism that
generates the bedrock of information needed to keep a community informed. It serves
democracy well but doesn’t necessarily sell
newspapers. Other news media rely on it

The problem is that American newspapers fill dual roles as
both a business and a public service.
Alex S. Jones is a respected reporter and
observer of the news business, and his
knowledge of the topic combined with
his background (his family owns a small
newspaper in Tennessee) result in a sober
analysis combined with insightful anecdotes
about how newspapers have evolved and
where they are going.

to generate their stories but don’t dig it up
themselves. Iron core news is expensive to
produce because it takes time and effort by
talented journalists to find and make sense
of it. In America, traditional newspapers
have taken on that role because they had
the financial resources. If those resources go
away, who will do it?

The problem with newspapers as a business is well-known: the competition for the
advertising dollar and peoples’ attention
has become so intense that they don’t enjoy
the market share that once made them so
profitable and ubiquitous. They used to be
near-monopolies and they aren’t any more,
so many are closing. So, why shouldn’t they
meet the same fate as any other business
that finds itself unable to compete in the
open market?

The logical next place is the internet, with
its democratic ideals and low barriers to
entry. But that is a frustrating place for
traditional journalists, who may find unlimited space in which to write, but no way
to make a living at it. Jones goes into detail
about how newspapers have embraced the
web, uploading and enhancing their content
electronically, while the print newspaper
continues to subsidize their online editions
because the advertising revenue just isn’t
there. The internet isn’t evolving as a reliable
source for iron core news.

Well, the problem is that American newspapers fill dual roles as both a business and
a public service. As Jones puts it, “Until
recently, iron core reporting…has been
artificially protected and subsidized because

Ultimately Jones is optimistic about the
future of news, though he doesn’t offer any
solutions for the business model dilemma.

He thinks the answer lies somewhere
between print and the web, and he disparages as “free riders” the likes of Google and
Yahoo who use the content generated by
journalists without paying for it at the same
time they reap the ad revenues that used to
fund the journalism.
Losing the News is a concise analysis of the
state of the business in the 21st Century,
sprinkled with enough stories to keep it
entertaining. The anecdotes about how
Jones’ grandmother, a schoolteacher, ended
up owning all three newspapers in their
small town is pure Americana, the kind of
story you want to believe can still happen.
This is a fascinating book for anyone who
cares about news and how to ensure we
retain a vigorous and impartial press at a
tough time in its history. As one publisher
told Jones: “The newspaper business used
to be like playing golf on a par three course
where you stood on the tee and knew the
distance to the hole. Now it’s like standing
on the tee of a par five, shrouded in fog. You
can’t even see the green, and overnight they
moved all the bunkers and sand traps.” v
Mike Corbett publishes and edits this magazine and is a former newspaper publisher.

Have you read a good business book lately?
Share your thoughts with others and help spread
good advice. Send your book review to
news@hamiltoncountybusiness.com and we
may run it in a future edition.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/June • July 2010

33

Hamilton County History

Nothing new Under the Sun

Renewable energy ideas a part of HC history

Citizens in Hamilton County have been seeking alternative energy sources for
decades. The county learned a rough lesson about non-renewable resources with
the failure of the natural gas boom in the early 1900’s. This lesson was driven home
during World War One, when coal became scarce because of wartime demand and
was rationed by the government. So a variety of other energy solutions have been
put forth – some successful, and some not.
Wind power has been used for
centuries and during the 1800s,
most farms in Hamilton County had
a windmill to pump water for the
livestock. However, people were
always experimenting with new
designs. Around 1879, a farmer
in Noblesville Township named
Daniel Gascho installed a patented
windmill on his farm that rotated
horizontally. It was a cylinder with
vanes that open and shut to adjust
the speed at which it turned. It
looked like a drum on a tower and
the local children nicknamed it “the
merry-go-round”. There were stories
that youngsters would try to take
rides on it, although it’s not clear
Patent application for the Dexter
Windmill, which rotated horizontally. where a person would have sat
without being battered by machinery. It stood until 1914 near where Noblesville Middle School is today.

David Heighway

generated electricity is still a dream today. However, it was not to be. The Ohiobased company managing the project was soon accused of deceptive practices,
including backroom deals for municipal power contracts. The final blow came when
local farmers realized that no one intended to pay them for their soon to be flooded
bottom land. After several lawsuits, the company folded in 1910. The remains of the
dam and powerhouse foundations can still be seen in the White River, about 500
yards upstream of the Cumberland Road bridge.
The successful hydroelectric plant was built at Clare in 1922 by Alexander Holliday,
an MIT-trained engineer who was more concerned with practicality than grand
scope. He reduced the number of turbines to two and installed state-of-the-art
generators. In the end, it produced about the same amount of electricity as the
attempted plant downstream. The community of Riverwood was created to take
advantage of the lake created behind the dam. However, the increase in population
created its own problems. Although there was a steam-powered electrical plant

Historic photo of the Holliday Hydroelectric Power Plant

in Noblesville, the demand for electricity quickly outgrew the plant’s capacity for
power. (Part of this was caused by the company itself, which had sold inexpensive
electric stoves and had given away electric irons to encourage housewives to use
electric power.) A larger steam plant was built at Riverwood in 1950. This plant has
been expanded and continues to be used.

Although I’ve discussed the White River hydroelectric plants in this column before,
it’s interesting to note the excitement surrounding their construction. The first one
was begun in 1908, just as the gas boom was failing. It was to be a huge project
with four water-powered turbines to produce 900 kilowatts of electricity. The river
would be flooded for five miles behind the dam. The idea that appealed to most
people was that the plant would provide power to the electric Interurban that had
been built in 1903. Fast, clean transportation powered by clean, renewable water-

34

June • July 2010/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Fast, clean transportation
powered by clean, renewable
water-generated electricity is
still a dream today.
The original hydroelectric plant eventually became too much trouble to run and was
quietly taken offline in the 1960s. At present, a local preservation group is restoring
the plant with the idea of making it available for tourists. A visitor would be able to
get a close look at 1920s “high-tech”. v

David Heighway is the Hamilton County historian.

BUSINESS RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Commercial Lease Space
River Edge Professional Center
and River Edge Market Place
Noblesville, IN
Call John Landy at 317-289-7662
jcl@roamermaritime.com

Community Resources
Hamilton County
Autism Support Group
19215 Morrison Way
Noblesville, IN 46060

The Hamilton County Autism Support
Group provides community awareness
and helps support families where lives
are challenged by Autism, a disability
that typically appears during the first
three years of life and affects social
interaction and communication skills.
HCASG provides Support Meetings,
Autism Siblings Program, Young
Adults Social Group,
Girls on the Spectrum and more.
For more information,
contact Jane Grimes at 317-403-6705
Or visit www.hcasg.org

Digitally printed signs and banners of any
size, vehicle wraps and graphics, T-shirt
printing, laser engraving. Great customer
service, fast turn-around. Family Owned
and Operated. Serving Noblesville
and Hamilton County since 1992.
Also home of Noblesville Trophies
773-7391 Open M-F 9-6 Sat. 10-2

The Noblesville Midday Rotary Club is one
of 32,000 local Rotary clubs throughout
the world and six in Hamilton County.
Open to all persons regardless of race,
color, creed or political preference, Rotary
brings together business and professional
leaders to provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all
vocations, and help build goodwill and
peace in the world. Each club meets weekly. For more information on the Noblesville
Midday Rotary Club. Call Gloria Davis
317-877-0051